U3A READING GROUP REPORT FOR MARCH 2014

BOOK Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Author Paul Torday

Many people will have seen the recent film of this book but those in the book group who had done so found the book very different. So it may be worth reading it even if you think you know the story!

The plot centres on a staid but contented fisheries’ scientist in the Civil Service as he rises to the challenge of introducing salmon fishing to the arid highlands of the Yemen. Through the project and his contact with the Sheikh whose dream it is he discovers the power of faith. On this journey he also discovers the true nature of his childless but apparently satisfactory marriage and his own capacity for love (albeit unrequited).

As the project progresses Dr Jones, the Fisheries expert, has numerous encounters with an assortment of Government officials and members of the establishment. Many of these characters are drawn in a gently amusing and ironic way and I certainly found myself frequently smiling at the author’s way with words.

The book’s construction is unusual, consisting of extracts from what is clearly an official inquiry. However, as the exact subject of the inquiry is never obvious it allows the ending of the story to come as a complete surprise!

The group’s score for this book? An 8 out of ten, so why not put it on your book list?

February 2014

Report from U3A Reading Group

The Reading Group’s latest book was Truth to Tell by Mavis Cheek. The novel follows Nina Porter, comfortable middle class mother of 2 grown up children who have now left home, wife of Robert and part-time researcher for author Bruno after her decision to start telling only the truth. No more little white lies for anyone!

Nina’s action is brought on by her husband’s repeated rants at public figures in the media who either simply don’t tell the truth or fudge it to suit their purposes. Her fist major step towards honesty is to announce to her husband that she will not be accompanying him on the firm’s annual jaunt to Florida. It may be all expenses paid but she detests these trips and it’s time to say so. I think she secretly hopes Robert will heave a sigh of relief and agree with her but in the current economic climate he can’t see the sense of putting his job in peril so off he goes to Florida.

This gives Nina a great deal of food for thought but her author boss Bruno immediately demands her presence in Venice to do some research for his next book. The subject of this research is uncomfortably relevant to Nina’s truth-telling dilemma, as is her meeting with a charming if somewhat sinister elderly Venetian. Nina’s decision also has major repercussions for her relationships with other people in her life, namely her best friend, her mother and her daughter.

Members of the group generally enjoyed the book as a light-hearted read and those who had visited Venice thought the author had evoked the city very well but we only felt able to give the book 5 out of ten.

March 2013

The Reading Group meets every third Wednesday afternoon of each month, in a member's home, for an hour and a half of literary and general discussion, over tea and biscuits. We were one of the very first groups to set up when the Totton U3A was formed and our membership of ten readers has always been fully subscribed. We have read and discussed over seventy books, which are supplied from Hants County Council Library Service and are on loan for about six weeks at a small annual fee. We read mostly fiction, from a list provided by the Library, and try to make sure that a wide range of genres are selected to cater for all tastes. However the liveliest discussions are always about books that were generally disliked. Popular and current fiction always has a very long waiting list to borrow which means that the months choice may already be familiar or have been read by some of the Group, but hopefully this doesn't happen too often. This months reading is a debut novel by Kirstan Hawkins called " Dona Nicanora's Hat Shop" about a small town deep in the jungles of South America and the hopes and dreams of the quirky characters that live there. Ann

The April Club Report

The April Club Report

Last month’s choice was Amenable Women by Mavis Cheek.
Flora Chapman is in her fifties when her husband dies in a bizarre ballooning accident. Seizing upon her new found freedom, she decides to finish the history of their village that Edward had begun. A reference to Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife who he rejected for being ugly, captures her imagination as she begins to delve deeper into the life of this neglected figure. Meanwhile, in the Louvre, Holbein's portrait of Anne of Cleves senses the tug of a connection and she begins to tell the story of the injustices she suffered and just how she survived her marriage...
The group found the story compelling, well and succinctly written and deeply moving.
The writer’s highly original ploy of the portraits of all these famous Queens conversing with each other in a gallery was particularly admired.

March Report

Last month’s choice was “Private Peaceful “by Michael Morpugo.
Thomas Peaceful is a young volunteer private in the First World War.
He is waiting overnight in his army tent remembering his early family life with his beloved elder brother, his thoughts on the terrible things he has seen and the relentless circumstances leading to these memories.

The group found the story compelling, well and succinctly written and deeply moving.

June “Case Histories”, a detective thriller by Kate Atkinson

This month’s book is a detective mystery showing three disparate stories that are eventually connected. While its characters are superficially calm and straightforward, great mysteries rage within. The result is part complex family drama and part mystery. It was rated highly by the group as compelling with both a surprising and cliff-hanging finale.

Next month’s book is “The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society” by Chris Stewart.

The Reading Group meet on the third Wednesday of every month.


Elaine

May - This month’s book “Two Caravans”

This month’s book “Two Caravans” was about the experiences and exploitation of illegal and legal immigrants in the agricultural industry. It had a mixed reception from the group, but the general consensus was the narrative was somewhat disjointed and the subject matter both dark and sad.

Next month’s book is “Case Histories”, a detective thriller by Kate Atkinson.